Raising of a Lion
by Faceless.Bee
Summary: Jessica swears to god this was not what she was expecting after celebrating her twenty-first birthday. Waking up in a huge forest missing a boot and leafs in her hair was not her idea of a fun hangover. OC-insert. Copious swearing and a character who is not putting up with ninja BS.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh fuck, where the hell am I and why do I feel like I was hit by a god damn semi?" was screamed into the open air of the forest, scaring away a flock of birds and any other creature within a hundred foot radius of said screaming object. The object in question, a person really, was our poor heroin of this tale. Jessica was a truly average girl, if being a flaming lesbian with a love for the booty and thighs that won't quit is considered normal. It would not be that bad, waking up in the middle of the forest, if it was not for the fact that Jessica was waking up in the forest with a hangover to kill all hangovers. Dressed in leather mini-shorts, a black halter top, and a leather short jacket with rolled sleeves she looked like a picture with the mussed hair full of twigs and leaves, a missing boot, and torn net stockings. Sleeping in the forest after a night of hard partying will do that to a person, that didn't make it any more tolerable in Jessica's eyes.

Her twenty-first birthday was yesterday, the fifth of May, and her friends decided she needed to go out and get stinking drunk. Hitting up every club and bar within a thirty mile radius had not been Jessica's brightest moment. Her girlfriend Pamela didn't join them sadly, leaving Jessica to wallow in her misery of having a younger girlfriend who refused to break the rules. It was fine though cause Pam had an ass the wouldn't quit and knew about that spot behind Jess's knee, but that was beside the point. Jessica was racking her brain trying to remember what happened. "I went to the bars," she started "and after we got kicked out of Smokez we were walking home." Jessica started to scratch at her head "What the fuck happened after that, I think I fell in a mother fucking puddle of some shit. Did those bitches drop me in a national park? Hell if I remember shit, my head hurts, god damn hangover, I swear to never drink again" She rambled as she stumbled through the dense woods surrounding her. As the impractically dressed girl grumbled and groaned she began to limp in the direction she chose, not that she knew where she was going with the big ass trees around her.

Along the way, with a generous sprinkling of creative and physically impossible curses, Jessica found her missing boot with a squirrel nesting in it. That was not a fun battle for the poor girl and she had to dislodge the damn thing and shake out her boot vigorously to remove the debris collected in it. After a few hours the dirty and now very pissed girl was able to find a small stream. The girl was starting to become suspicious she wasn't in New York anymore; there was no forest this big anywhere close to where she and the girls had been partying.

Dropping down by the stream Jessica began to pluck the stray leaves and twigs from her now dirty and very disheveled brown locks, the hair spray caused the stubborn debris to practically glue itself to her poor hair. Soon Jessica became frustrated and just dunked her head into the water. "Get out of my hair you damn twigs" was all but screamed as she started to pull at her hair. After what felt like hours for the poor girl, but was really five minutes, her hair was clear of the natural debris, it was also soaking wet and matted to hell, but she could deal with that later. Taking off her now painful boots and soaking her feet in the cool stream was the next action Jessica took, as she didn't know how long she would need to walk to get out of this natural hell, but she knew blisters would not make life easier.

"Fucking hell, I swear when I get out of this damn forest I will kill those ass-wipes with my bare hands."

Lying back on the grass with her feet splashing away Jessica didn't know how long she was there, but when it started to get dark she became worried. What if she was lost, where were her friends, better yet where was she. These were questions the brunette wanted answers to, but could find no hint anywhere of her location. Setting up a shelter was difficult to say the least, for a city girl who had never been camping Jessica liked to say she did a great job, but her lean-to of fallen branches (Holy Fuck, this is bigger than a black porno dick!) and vines she pulled from the surrounding greenery (Wonder if Pam would let me tie her up sometime?) wouldn't last the night.

Closing her eyes to a restless sleep with a grumbling belly and shivering limbs Jessica prayed to whatever deity that would listen that she would survive the night. As the dull grey eyes drooped in sleep, Jessica listened to the surrounding fauna and cursed every damn creature she heard. "Tomorrow I will make a soup out of every one of you and eat you all in one big gulp." With those final angry words Jessica was taken into a very uncomfortable and cold sleep. 

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First Chapter of my first attempt at a Naruto fanfiction with an oc as the main character. Please review and tell me any mistakes you notice.


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up had been highly unpleasant for the spoiled city girl, with a sore back and her shelter collapsing on her in the middle of the night. Jessica felt like screaming and pulling out her now hopelessly knotted hair but stopped herself, getting panicked would not help her in this situation.

"What was it that sensei always used to say, something about flowing like a river, or some flowery poetic shit like that."

Drawing in a few deep breaths and releasing them slowly she was able to calm her pulse and walked over to the stream. Splashing water on her face and rinsing out her hair again helped the grumpy girl focus on her surroundings.

"Big-ass mother fucking trees for miles, absolutely nowhere near New York, that is for fucking sure. Maybe If I just start walking I will find a road or house or something helpful."

Jessica knew drinking from a stream had risks, but it was either risk getting dysentery or guarantee death by shriveling up like a prune. The girl knew which she would rather risk and took a few big gulps from the running water. Finding a few large leaves and creating a makeshift canteen she filled it with water and began her trek along the forest floor.

Soon the trees began to thin out and become noticeably younger as Jessica walked farther from her original location. The air became heavier and the humidity increased as the brunette unknowingly entered Hot Springs Country, exiting the dense forests of Fire Country. After many more hours of walking with short rests liberally taken Jessica came upon a small village, so small in fact that village was a very generous word to use for the clustering of huts around a small tea shop slash inn. A village square with only three stalls and ten people milling around was truly pathetic in the eyes of a young girl raised in big cities.

"Damn this shit hole is pathetic, and what the fuck are these mother fuckers wearing, it looks like bathrobes!" Was exclaimed very loudly by the disheveled girl, and caused her to be on the receiving end of some very confused looks. It was not every day that a dirty and crazy looking person came out of the village's surrounding forest and began to scream in gibberish, as a matter of fact Jessica was lucky enough to be the first person to do this and scare the living day lights out of the people gathered near the forest.

Now one must remember that Jessica has no clue where she is, and as far as she is concerned the whole mess is a prank gone wrong. The girl has no idea that she is now in a foreign land, one that she does not know a lick of the language or the cultural behaviors and quirks. So it is safe to assume that the village did not take well to her appearance or her loudness that no one could understand.

A menagerie of colorful language came tumbling out of the girl's mouth as she stomped through the village walking up towards what she assumed was the inn. The surrounding people gave her a wide berth, many assuming she was some kind of ninja from her attire and attitude.

Entering the inn with great flourish and walking straight up to the front desk Jessica demanded a room, and the frightened desk clerk, not understanding her stood there for many minutes as she yelled at the poor boy. After some very humorous mining and yelling the boy at the desk tossed Jessica a key for a room and then ran to hide in the kitchens, rather facing the chef's cleaver than the crazy girl yelling at him.

"What the fuck is this some Japanese shit of something?" was the only thing the girl could say as she looked at the key and the number engraved on its front. "Fuck, no wonder no one understands me," so could have smacked herself "I must sound loony to them talking in English."

Walking to where she assumed her room was Jessica knew she had no way to communicate, having never bothered with anime or manga the girl had never felt the desire to learn Japanese. She knew she would have to find a way to pay for her room, and how to communicate.

"Mother fucking success" was mumbled under the young woman's breath as she opened the door to her room. After a nice long bath and sleeping in an actual bed she knew she would be ready to plan and prepare for whatever the next day would bring, until then there was a large tub waiting to be filled with hot water calling her name.

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Second Chapter up. I do not know how often updates will happen, But I will try to get at least a chapter a week. For now inspiration is flowing.


	3. Chapter 3

It took almost three days to figure out how to communicate with the staff, and once Jessica realized they were asking for money she knew she was screwed hard-core. Having to work for her keep was hard; convincing the staff to let her work was even harder. With no ability to communicate and having to rely on miming and pointing at things got old fast and soon when Jessica mimed to the staff she would swear along with it, putting sarcastic and caustic words and phrases that no one else understood into her sentences.

"Dumb-ass mother fuckers can suck a dick and choke on it," was mumbled as she scrubbed a room's floor, "who the fuck let those twat-wipes into the room anyway, at least those dumb-asses could have cleaned up after themselves!"

Jessica's first, and most certainly not last, run in with what she came to learn as ninjas was not a fun one. The small village the brunette made residences in was conveniently located on a common route for travelers, merchants, and ninjas on missions to or from either land of frost or land of lightning. These missions were usually bloody, or at the very least messy, and the ninjas usually did not see the usefulness in cleaning up after themselves. This left the unfortunate girl with the responsibility with cleaning up after said ninjas.

For our poor heroin she was stuck with what she dubbed "Fuckers' Mess Clean-up" as she did not speak or read the language very well and was expected to clean after the ninjas as she could therefore not read any sensitive documents, or point an enemy in the right direction. Many people assumed she was simply deaf, and she spoke 'gibberish' well enough, but could not communicate with words.

Jessica was proud to say though that she was learning. Children's books and a need to buy supplies made it possible and a necessity. The grumpy girl was ecstatic to find that writing and reading in katakana was becoming easier, she could even vocalize simple words and questions, but she still spoke in English with a liberal sprinkling of French when very frustrated, unless forced to otherwise.

Her pay was enough to buy some clothing, as what she arrived in was bare more than tatters after a horrible run in with some snotty children. Don't get her wrong, Jessica loved kids, she loved them even more when they didn't bother her. Her new clothes were simple, buying yukatas in varying shades of grey or blue with a black obi off a traveling merchant, and a few duplicate outfits of a pair of dark brown khakis with an either grey or jade green long sleeveless shirt. Often she would wear the pants and shirt under her yukata; she was either barefoot or in her boots when it came to foot-wear.

Eating was a whole other story for Jessica. Having lived in New York City for a large portion of her adult life Jessica would like to say she was not a picky eater, just preferring high-class dining. Living off of rice, pickled vegetables, and whatever protein was fresh was not what she would class as high-profile food. The tea was good though, if not more bitter than what she was used to.

One of the perks though on being as underestimated as she was is that no one suspected her of swiping a little extra cash here and there or taking a ninja tool or two. Jessica was proud to say she had enough money to last a few months on a strict budget and more than enough of those strange daggers (kunai) to last her in her travels.

"Gonna leave this shit-spot of a town once I know enough." Was what Jessica would say every day, and she was so close to her goal, she could almost taste the freedom. After months of slaving away in grueling tasks that annoyed the caustic girl to no end she finally has enough to hitch a ride with the next traveling merchant to where ever they were going. With her basic language skills and the weapons she collected the girl could claim to be a ninja and hitch a ride for free or even get paid to protect the caravan. That was her plan and Jessica personally thought it was brilliant, after all anywhere had to be better than this agoraphobic town. Jessica was a city girl; she needed crowded streets and pushy people to feel at home, and to feel that her rough and tumble language and behavior were justified,

For the moment though Jessica had to go deal with a drunken patron, damn perverted ninjas and their inability to keep their hands to themselves. She swore to herself if she ever saw the white haired man after this she would castrate him herself, he wasn't much of a looker and if Jessica wasn't into the ladies she still wouldn't touch him with a twenty foot pole.

"Who the hell wears make-up like that anyway, red stripes down the face don't distract from your big-ass mole you motherfucker." Was all the frustrated girl could mumble under what she assumed was the man's drunken bragging and flirting. She was so stealing from this fucker before she left tomorrow with the latest merchant caravan. The head merchant said they were heading to a place called 'Konohagakure no Sato', not that Jessica knew what they meant, but anywhere was better than where ever the hell she was.

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Third Chapter. Soon we will be getting into Konaha and some interaction with Naruto. Shout out to whoever can guess what ninja made a guest appearance this chapter. Not that hard really.


	4. Chapter 4

Just so you Guys know _Italics_ means it is spoke in Japanese, Jessica will still speak in mostly English as that is what she is most comfortable in.

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Traveling with merchants in a rickety, old wagon was not fun, well the ride was fun for Jessica and it was the people that made it absolute hell for her. The horses moved with a purpose and stopping in many different towns and villages helped expand her vocabulary and language skills. It was nice for Jessica to be able to communicate better than a toddler and to actually understand what the people around her were saying, not that hearing the males being absolutely rude about her was very pleasant. But she would not complain about having the ability to know where she was at the moment and how much the things she had were worth.

Her possessions were sparse and not in the best shape but as far as she cared it was all she needed to survive in this ass-backward country. A rough leather backpack she 'borrowed' from a traveler who stayed in the inn held all her earthly possessions; about a dozen roughly sharpened knives, one or two language scrolls, what was left of her leather jacket, her spare outfits, the money she had saved and 'collected' and some spare knick-knacks she swiped from patrons of the 'lovely inn' she had worked at. Jessica never claimed to be a good person and as far as she cared it was eat or be eaten in a place where children were taught to throw knives around like it was going out of style.

The sleepy eyed woman was just happy she convinced the caravan to take her with them. Ten years of kick-boxing really paid off and after showing some simple moves and her ability to use the knives she pocketed it was easy to get a ride to where the merchants were heading as a protective guard. Getting a small payment and the lack of questions directed at her was also a big plus.

After about three weeks of traveling and trading with no run-ins with any bandits Jessica was happy to reach the ninja village. Of course her sleeping in the back or a wagon while passing through the gates meant she didn't necessarily know that they had reached the destination until she had to help set up the stall and carry the heavy boxes of good.

"Fuckers better pay me good shit for this manual labor," Jessica panted as the last box was put down, "Hey _boss I _got to go so I_ need my payment._" She yelled at the leader of the merchants she helped, in broken Japanese.

"_Calm yourself girly, you will get paid after we are done with set up._" was the large man's reply.

"You can suck my non-existent dick you ass-breath tit sucker."

"_Girly you know we do not understand your gibberish._"

"_I said 'yes sir, right away sir' _you dumb-ass who can't even understand simple English"

This was how rest of the day went, bleeding into the next morning as Jessica helped with the final parts of setting up the stall.

"Weak-ass mother fuckers needing a girl to do all the heavy lifting," she glared at the man as he paid her, "if you got off your ass you wouldn't have to have hired me in the first place and _don't try to skimp on my payment, I said 15,000 ryo _youass-face."

After receiving her money and a pretty Yukata and obi set from the merchants wife Jessica headed off to find something to eat. It was hard to find somewhere to eat though as Jessica was still very picky. Settling on a small tea shop the foul-mouthed girl ordered a pot of lemon tea and some snacks, mainly senbei (rice crackers) and edamame (Salted soy beans), while flirting with the serving girl.

"_You have pretty eyes; they reminded me of the first leaves of spring._"

"_Your skin makes the moon envious of its beauty."_

And so on went Jessica's flirting, getting cheesier with each line, until both she and the waitress were red and laughing from the silly things coming from her mouth. The tea was good and soothing, and with the salty and crunchy snacks Jessica's hunger dissipated. Putting down the small payment with a generous tip Jessica left the tea stall and began to explore.

Stopping here and there to check out stalls and shops, buying a few trinkets and some spare clothing, Jessica began to amass a small collection of scarves small bolts of cloth. With a sewing kit Jessica would be able to patch up and customize her clothing more as time went on.

After a few hours the now content girl knew she would have to get a hotel room for a little while if she was planning on staying for any length of time. She actually was enjoying the view and atmosphere of the village and while granted Konaha did not hold a candle to her beloved city, the bustling streets and crowds of people soothed her aching soul.

"I didn't realize how much I missed my home," she murmured to herself as she strolled along to a hotel, "the big buildings and my sweet Pam, even granpap's nagging is starting to be missed."

Jessica stopped suddenly; she could have sworn she heard something. A soft cry, there it was again, it sounded like a small child.

"Why is there crying coming from an alleyway?" the curious girl asked herself, "I should check this out, could be a reward in it for me." She smirked at the thought of finding some rich brat and getting showered in money.

Turning down the alley, Jessica couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips. There sitting in a pile of garbage was one of the most beautiful toddlers the girl had ever seen. With dirty blonde hair and big, tearful blue eyes, Jessica would bet all her possessions that cleaned up the child would be the definition of Arian coloring, and looking so much like her sweet, pretty Pam.

Crouching down on his level and picking him up out of the trash he was lying in Jessica wiped away his tears and asked him in the softest voice she could muster, "_What is your name little one?_"

The reply she received was heart-breaking to say the least. With small dirty hand clutching her sleeves the small boy looked her in the eyes and said in a soft voice "_Monster_."

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Surprise. I will figure out a time-line, but just assume It has been about three years since the Nine-tails Attack.


	5. Chapter 5

The cold shock Jessica felt at those words transformed into red, hot fury within seconds. Who dares to call a child a monster and let the child believe such non-sense!? It was just cruel, abusive, and made her sick to her stomach.

"_Well that won't do little one,_" she said in the calmest voice she could recall using. Using passive and soothing posture and gestures, as if calming a frightened animal, was all Jessica could think of doing.

"_Do you want a name?_" Was the first question that popped into Jessica's head after that little declaration.

The little toddler's murmured agreement was all Jessica needed to spur her into action. Taking out all the scarves she collected and wrapping up the child, along with a spare Yukata, she covered the shivering child from head to toe, with only his beautiful blue eyes peeking through. Whoever thought to abandon a small child this close to winter in only rags had to be heatless.

"My darling Pam thought that if we ever adopted we would name the child something strong to match the strength he or she would have." Jessica told the boy in English, "_How does _Leonidas _sound little one?_"

The boy just gave her a blank look, and then beamed at her, snuggling into her arms as she carried him out of the alley.

"Leonidas it is then, a strong name for a strong baby boy."

Checking into a cheap hotel for the night Jessica began to set up a plan. Abandoning a child is despicable in her eyes, and she promised herself after what her parents did she would never abandon another like that. She and little Leo were now family, Jessica had decided this as soon as the little boy had smiled at her with such trusting eyes, and family always stuck together, Lelo and Stich had taught her that and she planned to stick to that rule no matter what.

Before the shops closed-up for the night Jessica went to buy some supplies; lots of prepackaged food, juice, milk, and diapers were what she got in bulk. Buying cheap and fast, and running back to the hotel loaded down with bags was not fun, but she knew what needed to be done to protect her new family.

Living in the strange new world had given Jessica a new perspective on life, with all the crazy people running around and throwing strange weapons and superpowers around at each other had made Jessica really miss normal life. Back when all she had to worry about was a mugger on the street, or a homophobic ass-hole at a club, that was the life.

Settling down in her room with the giggling toddler in her lap, she began to mix some pre-made rice in a bowl with some milk, making a gruel and feeding the toddler. As she fed him she began to reminisce about what she lost in her little 'Adventure'. Her grandfather was probably worried sick, it could not be good for his health, and Jessica felt a stab of guilt. She had no clue how to get back, and she didn't know if time passed differently for her and her home. For all the now sad girl knew, her funeral was already held and everyone moved on.

Moving into the bathroom to clean the dirty toddler, Jessica still stewed in her thought. Lovely Pam might have moved on, which saddened Jessica the most. Pam had been her longest relationship. Almost two years of commitment, which Jessica had been planning to change into forever. They had even begun talking about starting a family once Pamela was out of University, now that was all gone.

Jessica was startled out of her musings as the sweet little boy touched her face. She had not even realized she had started to cry. With everything she knew gone, the crying girl pulled the distressed child out of the tub and dried him off, and clung to the sweet smelling child as they both drifted to sleep.

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Short but emotional chapter. Still deciding where I plan on Taking this, but I hope you guys enjoy this so far.


	6. Chapter 6

Waking up the next morning had been difficult for Jessica, her eyes swollen and red from crying herself to sleep, and a mouthful and blonde baby hair. The whimpers from the child as he became hungry was what made her spring into action, create another mush of rice, milk, and vegetables Jessica fed little Leo as she planned how to get him dressed. After breakfast Jessica pulled out a diaper and put the toddler in it. Letting him run around the room, she began to piece together an outfit for him, trimming up one of her grey Yukatas to roughly fit the boy and hemming up the edges was easy, getting said boy into the altered clothing was the challenge.

After a half-hour struggle the boy was bundled up in the grey clothing and wrapped up in scarves to keep the chill off him. His blonde hair was quite noticeable now that it was clean, and Jessica didn't want those who abounded him to find her little Leo. Wrapping up his head in a scarf like she had seen her Muslim friend do for her sibling was also a struggle, the little boy wanting his head free.

Combing out her tangled hair with her fingers as she walked down to get breakfast with the little boy toddling next to her, Jessica began to talk to the child by her side.

"_Now remember _Leo _keep your scarf on, can you do that for me?"_

_"Yes big sister." _Was the mumbled reply from the boy.

Grabbing the offered breakfast and paying for a week's rent of her room, Jessica made sure to ask about places to get children supplies at the front desk. She was really glad she had focused on studying the basics of the language after landing in the foreign land.

Time passed for Jessica and Leo, and after a week in the room Jessica began to crave the outside again. Bundling up the toddler and herself, Jessica decided to start walking in a direction and see where it took them. Coming to a small park and seeing the small children playing with their parents watching gave Jessica pause. Where were Leo's parents, did they abandon him, or was it someone else? Why was no one looking for the boy? These questions buzzed around her head like a swarm of mosquitoes.

Turning around with Leo on her hip Jessica decided to check out the children stores the desk girl told her about. Maybe get the toddler some clothes that were actually made for him, and some spare things her aunts always talked about children needing.

After almost two hours Jessica returned to the hotel room, laden-down with bags and with a fussy toddler on her hip.

"How the fuck do women do this, I mean hell Aunt Chessy had fucking triplets, how in the fuck did she do it!?"

"Fuck!"

This made Jessica stop in her tracks, looking down at the giggling toddler on her hip she could not help the smile the nearly split her face in half.

"Oh who is a smart boy, learning English already, my little genius boy. That is right, Fuck is the first word you should learn, and the only one you will ever need."

"Fuck" the toddler giggled back at the woman's cooing. No one had ever praised him before, but he was a smart boy and even though he could not understand what she was saying he knew she was saying something nice to him.

Another month passed in a similar fashion, with Jessica heading out to do odd jobs, or simply taking what was needed, and staying in a rougher part of the village made it easier to sneak around and avoid being caught. Leo was learning at a good pace, and Jessica began to make simple lessons for the toddler to learn how to communicate with her, in both simple English and Japanese. Jessica made sure that when she spoke to the child she would switch up her language in use to help train him to use both.

Leo was a smart child in Jessica's personal opinion, and she knew he could learn with the proper environment and encouragement. Within the month spent with Jessica in her hotel room Leo picked up what she was saying very quickly, and took great relish in repeating everything she said.

"Those stupid-ass motherfucking ninjas can choke on their stupid 'Justus'"

"muterfu'r"

"_That is correct Leo_ Motherfucker, _Remember to enunciate._"

Jessica could not help the humor she felt at little Leo's language, Pam would have killed her for teaching a child to swear so proficiently, but it was nice to hear another person speak English, even if it was the stuttering, broken language of a toddler. Call Jessica selfish, but hearing her home language was one of the few comforts she had, and she was not going to deny herself that comfort.

But like anything, the almost calm that Jessica and Leo had was not meant to last. Jessica knew that soon people would notice the missing items and money, and would possibly connect it to her. Months of living on the street after her parents kicked her out taught her that moving around was the key to not getting caught.

After two days spent pawning off many of her stolen items for money, and stealing anything she may need for traveling with a child, Jessica packed up her beaten bag, and left the cheap hotel with Leo wrapped up like a mummy. Before leaving the less reputable part of the neighborhood Jessica ducked into an alley and used her bag to make herself appear pregnant. Placing the bag under her yukata and covering herself up, she placed Loe on her hip and began to waddle to the front gate. Jessica knew pregnant women were underestimated, and after weeks of observation she knew people were not asked to show Identification when leaving the village.

Spring was approaching but it was still chilly enough to excuse covering up Leo so thoroughly, and people assumed that Jessica was simply and overprotective mother as they passed her, so no one gave her a second glance. Once she reached the looming gate it was easy enough to simply walk through and not turn back, the ninja whom was on gate duty not even bothering lift his head from his book, after all Jessica was not even a blip on his 'danger meter'.

And that was it, on the Third of February Konohagakure lost its only Tailed Beast Container, to a strange woman from a strange land who didn't give a damn about the chaos she would unknowingly cause by taking an abused child from a dangerous situation.

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Starting to get the ball rolling.


	7. Chapter 7

Traveling was rough and harsh on the young woman and her charge. Using the map she had swiped as few weeks back Jessica was able to estimate where they were at, but with the toddler needing to be carried for the longer or more difficult parts of their journey it was slow going to say the least.

Heading towards the Land of Tea, Jessica knew that the ninja populace was almost non-existent there and she would not have to worry about the backlash from taking a child from a village.

Jessica was not stupid, she had heard about blood-line theft from some ninjas at a tea-house, apparently some families were born with magic powers and the children were treated like prize toys, not something Jessica ever wanted her little Leo exposed to. She had just prayed that Leo was an orphan, or from a civilian family so no one would come after her for saving him from his situation.

It took close to five weeks of almost non-stop moving to make it to a large city in Tea Country, and once there Jessica was practically dead on her feet. On her way out of Fire Country she had seen a wanted sign, describing the child in her arms with frightening accuracy. This had spurred her on like the devil's dogs were biting at her heels, and she reached Tea Country's major city two weeks earlier than she expected.

For the moment Jessica was content to stay at a cheap hotel and teach Leo what she could. Working the odd job as a hostess at a tea house, or as a pack mule for a market stall, Jessica was able to save-up quite a stash, even if a large portion went to filling the endless gut that Leo had.

"Now Leo, what color is this?" Jessica asked as she held up a colored block

"Pu'pa" Exclaimed the happy boy as he laughed and giggled at the game.

"Good Job, here is your treat." Jessica handed the smiling toddler a rice cracker as he clapped and held his hand out expectantly.

This was the routine for the pair, Jessica going to work in the morning for a few hours after Leo went down for nap, come back at lunch, feed Leo and Teach him for about two hours, Go do another odd job, then come back for the night, Have dinner and play with Leo until he fell asleep, and repeat the next morning.

Whenever Jessica felt herself stagnating she would go up to the Hotel's roof with Leo and practice her Katas and knife skills, in the crazy world she fell in it would not do for her skills to deteriorate. On occasions Leo would try to join the dark skinned woman in her morning exercise, with the small blonde child stumbling through kicks and falling more times than Jessica could count.

On the sixth of July Jessica decided it was Leo's birthday, holding a small celebration of her, Leo, and the small puppy she had picked-up for him. The cake had been a small white cake with cream frosting and fresh peaches in between the layers. Leo had squealed in excitement at the cake, with four small candles and a lion made of peaches on the top, and then proceeded to make a mess of himself and Jessica as he tore into the cake with great gusto.

The puppy was promptly named 'Miso' as Leo happened to smell his next present as Jessica asked him to name the unfortunate pup. Something Jessica would never let the poor boy live down for many years. At the end of the day Leo was a happy little boy, full of cake and ramen soup, and sleeping soundly on his bed with the newly christened Miso snuggling by his side.

"You sleep well little guy, cause tomorrow we will be heading out again."

Jessica knew that moving around this much would not be good for a child's psyche, but she had seen ninjas sniffing around the other day, and she knew under no circumstances was her little Leo to return to the hell-hole she liberated him from.

Looking down at the map spread out before her Jessica began to plan.

"Bear Country looks promising, lots of forests and wide open spaces, but it is close enough to the mainland for any ninja from Konaha to get there in a heartbeat. The Land of Water seems promising, lots of islands, some with ninja villages, and some without and plenty of choices on climate as well. Smaller villages on the mainland can provide anonymity, but little protection, and larger villages mean more contact with the ninja villages."

Just as Jessica was preparing to give up for the night she saw it. Nadeshiko Village was located on a small island close to the Land of Water. The village seemed to be in a mild climate, and was small enough to not draw attention to itself. There was a warning written about the village but Jessica was too tired to notice it, all she cared about was that she had found a safe place for her and Leo.

Marking the village on the map and then storing it away, Jessica began to drag herself to bed, snuggling up to Leo and the puppy, she planned for tomorrow as she drifted to sleep.

* * *

Puppies are adorable and I could not help myself. If Naruto seems a little slow for a three and a half year old toddler it is because he was neglected early on, so he had to learn on his own.


	8. Chapter 8

Nothing Explicit in this chapter but there is some vague implications of lady loving.

* * *

Waking up the next morning Jessica packed up the few scattered possessions around the room into her beaten bag and slung it over her shoulder. Creating a make-shift sling out of a large green scarf she wrapped it around a sleepy Leo and placed Miso into it.

"Now hold on him, okay Leo, we are going to a new village and you don't want to lose your puppy."

Grabbing the boy's hand they began to walk out of the inn they had stayed at for the past weeks. Waving good-bye to the desk woman and paying for their room Jessica grabbed the complimentary breakfast and packed it up; rice and fish were dumped into a large bento soup container with the mushroom soup, and would be eaten later as a late lunch.

Heading east the closest port city was only a day's walk away; meaning that Jessica carried Leo for a good portion of the travel time so that they could make it in less than that. Jessica thanked whatever deity was listened that her strength and speed had not decreased in her time spent in the strange land, and if anything with the clean air and water it increased. Jessica was able to lift more than ever before, and moved with more speed and agility than she could ever recall having, but she still was not a ninja by any standards, as her chakra coils did not exist and her strength, while impressive in her homeland, was low level at best to a ninja of training.

Making it to the port city before nightfall Jessica reserved a boat to Land of Water and rented a room for the night at a nice hotel for once. She could splurge on her last night in the mainland.

Soaking at the hot springs in the hotel had been relaxing for Jessica and for Leo had been a new and fun experience. The dinner served by the staff had been the best the young woman could remember having in a long time, and had been a nice treat for her young charge.

"Now Leo darling, what do you say when someone brings you good food?"

"'Bout time motherfucker," the boy giggled at the staff in English.

"_Now in Japanese little one._"

"_Thank you very much._"

After a highly satisfying meal and a short game of cards, goldfish which Leo miraculously won without even knowing the rules, Jessica tucked the tired boy into the shared futon. Miso went and curled up beside the boy and shortly after fell into a deep sleep.

Walking out of the room for a short stroll, Jessica continued to plan. Leaving the mainland was easy enough and tomorrow after arriving at The Land of Water Jessica knew it would be simple to find a less savory person she could pay to forge some papers for her. The areas surrounding the Ninja villages were always more strict on forgeries, but she knew if you found the right person it would be easy enough. She never did it before for fear of drawing the wrong attention, but in a newer area made of many islands, moving around unnoticed would become child's play.

A person then caught Jessica's eye, a pretty young guest at the hotel. The girl had long black hair, to her mid-back with dark black eyes and pale skin; she was the picture of a Japanese princess in her simple pink yukata with a deep purple obi. Jessica had met her earlier at the hot spring and seeing the pretty young lady now, dressed in such a pretty fashion, Jessica decided to make the young girl her prey for the night.

"_Hello there beautiful, it is a lovely night out, isn't it?_" Jessica purred into the girl's ear with a flirtatious wink.

"_Oh, um, e-excuse me?_" the girl stuttered back, with a light blush creeping up her face and neck.

Oh yes, the hunt was on and Jessica knew she always got her prey.

* * *

Jessica's love for the ladies rivals that of Jiraya's, she is just less creepy about it.


	9. Chapter 9

The boat ride to Land of Water's main island had been unpleasant to say the least. With choppy water and a cold rain after the half-way point, and a crowded boat with over fifty people, ninja and civilians, crowded under the deck, Jessica had become very agitated very fast. Leo started to fuss shortly after that with Miso joining into the whining after a few minutes. The glares Jessica received for having a crying child were unpleasant, but that did not stop her from swearing and glaring right back. Thankfully the agitated woman found that her swearing made Leo happy and stopped his fussing as he tried to mimic her.

After arriving to shore and leaving the ship Jessica, who was now more than a little green in the face, quickly walked to the closes tea-shop. Getting a table and looking over the boarding schedules for the boats she could not find one for the island Nadeshiko Village was located on.

Flagging down the waitress Jessica asked, "_Where is the boat leaving for Nadeshiko Village?_"

This caused the waitress to pale a little as she stuttered out a reply. "_The village has little contact with anyone outside of it, you will be lucky to find anyone willing to sail there, no matter the pay._"

Sadly for Jessica and Leo this was true, and everywhere they turned people either avoided the topic or outright refused to talk about it. Soon the brunette became frustrated and was entertaining thoughts of giving up and going to Bear Country when a man waved her over.

"_You have been asking about sailing the Nadishiko Village?_" the old hunched man asked a now wary Jessica.

"_And if I have?_" was her suspicious reply.

"_My son can take you to the island, but no farther._"

"_What is the price old man?_"

"_5000 Ryo_"

For Jessica that had been the best news all day, and for a small price, nothing compared to her earlier ride, she took it in a heartbeat. Later that day Jessica met with the old man's son at the dock. After a small greeting he indicated for her to follow but once they got to the boat Jessica could not hold back her grimace.

"_It looks more like a dingy than a boat._" She scowled at the man, who was nervously looking around at her tone. For the poor man it was easy to assume who she was; a kunochi from Nadeshiko village who 'disposed' of her husband after having a child and was going back to her village to teach the next generation of she-devils.

Nadeshiko Village is a relatively small ninja village that produced amazon like kunochi in abundance, woman who were more powerful than many of the celebrated 'geniuses' or 'gods' of the larger shinobi nations. The village had a tradition, because of how powerful the women were they had to leave their village to find a suitable husband, a man who could defeat them in battle, no easy task.

This was not true for Jessica, but the man who had been brutally beaten once by one of the strong women he had attempted to court was now cautious of all females. This was how Jessica was able to bully the man so easily, and why once they reached the island that held the village, which they reached in almost two hours of furious rowing after the engine gave-out, the man didn't bother waiting for his pay, instead rowing away as fast as possible.

Walking in the general direction Jessica assumed the village was in, carrying a sleepy toddler on her back and a puppy on her front, it took her three hours of slow walking to reach the looming gate.

The young woman could not help but whistle at the looming shape. "Damn Big Gates that is what those are." She then turned to her bundle sitting in his sling and asked the stirring toddler, "You think this will be a good place?" The toddler just smiled at her a mumbled out a small 'fuck' before falling back to sleep.

"I will take that as confirmation then."

Jessica just hoped her papers held up, she had paid good money to get them for her and Leo, but the hush money or 'Tax' had been what truly killed her purse. Knocking on the imposing gate Jessica then began the waiting game, hoping a village guard would be there shortly.

The Great Gate's peep-hole opened after a few minutes and a lilting voice called out in question.

"_Who goes there?_"

_"A traveler wishing to find a home." _Was Jessica's more rough reply

_"From where do you hail?"_

_"Everywhere and nowhere, for I travel and could not stay where I was with this child" _The brunette gestured to Leo who was now alertly starting at the eyes in the peep-hole.

The young woman behind the door closed the peep-hole and then swiftly opened the large gate doors as if they were nothing.

_"Follow me to the Hanakage's office"_ The young black haired woman said as she started to walk along the large dirt road.

Walking through the large military village Jessica kept her eyes open and took in everything she saw. The most obvious thing about the village was the frankly scary population distribution, for every six women there was one man. Jessica also noticed how some men held very submissive and frightened postures, while all the women stood tall and proud, not one seemed uncomfortable in their village or body. Oh yeah, she could get use to this.

* * *

Hopefully things will start moving now. No promises though.


	10. Chapter 10

The meeting with the village leaders had gone fairly well, with the Hanakage and council being called for the citizenship testing after a short interview with interrogation about her intentions. The testing itself had been simple enough for Jessica: provide proof that she was who she claimed to be, supply blood samples for testing, and fill out paperwork. Altogether it had taken three days to become a citizen of Nadeshiko Village, two of which were spent in the hospital so Jessica and Leo could be given vaccinations and full examinations.

Now that Jessica and Leo were full citizens of Nadeshiko Village they had to find housing, as the temporary housing provided to all new village members only lasted a month. Being one of the few civilians in the village of almost pure ninjas was a task, as there were few places run by civilians that would hire a civilian, and housing requires money, which required a job.

"Fuck me side ways, this is fucking hard as balls!" Jessica screamed at the sky as she was turned away from another store. "That is the fucking third one today, and I am running out of options. Damn it I need some mother-fucking money, and prostitution is not looking like a profitable option." The frustrated woman only had two more shops she could check out as the week of job hunting had shrunk her original list quickly.

"Can't steal from ninjas, too risky, and if I steal from the stupid-as civilians then I might get caught, damn those mother-fuckers and there ninja powers." Jessica only had two and a half weeks left of free housing before she either had to get out or pay rent, and damn it all she was not making any money. The ninja's wouldn't hire a civilian to watch their kids; she had asked and then was then promptly told that it was the husband's job to watch kids when the women had missions.

This was the main dilemma, the men had the 'normal' jobs and all the women were ninjas, it was annoying for Jessica who wanted a 'normal' job. Stomping back to her small apartment she began to mull over her options. No shop would hire her right now, and most other public services or jobs required ninja statues, and damn it all Jessica was too old and nowhere close to being able to become a ninja.

Entering her apartment Jessica was greeted by the site of Leo wrestling with a hyper Miso, both of them rolling around on the carpet.

"Leo, stop teasing Miso and finish your match, we have some things to discuss."

Jessica was happy to find that Leo was not stupid or stunted too bad from his previous abuse, and was quite a clever child; he just had some strange speech impediments. The little boy absorbed everything she said and was able to hold one sided conversations with the woman, with the brunette being the one talking.

"Now Leo, I need to find a job, but if I can't I will need you to start upping your cute factor, 'cause begging is my next option if I can't find a damn job soon. Do you think you can start working on your puppy eyes? Good just look at Miso if you can't get it right. Now about food …" The conversation went like this for close to an hour, with Jessica using Leo as a sounding board for her ideas and plans.

The next morning Jessica began to walk to the school she had seen earlier, hoping they would hire her, even without ninja statues. The building itself was plain, with two stories and shaped like a horseshoe, with the play-yard in the center or the 'u' and an entrance on the other side of the building. Colored in a washed out beige over rough brick, the building looked as old as it was.

_"Hello, I am wondering if you have any open positions for a civilian." _Jessica asked the woman with short auburn hair at the front desk in the entrance of the school building.

_"We usually don't hire civilians, have you checked the shops in the market?"_

_"Yes, none of them had any positions open, I have a child and he will begin school and I would like to get a feel of what that will be like for him."_

_"Oh, how old is he?"_

And on the small talk went, with Jessica wheedling information out of the woman as she gushed about Leo. After many minutes of this the woman seemed to be wavering about not hiring Jessica. Now was the time to strike.

_"It is just so sad," _Jessica sniffed out, _"Soon my temporary housing will run out, and I have no savings, my last ryo used to feed little Leo, with no job he may starve to death, or freeze in the middle of the night. Are you sure there are no positions available?" _She knew she was laying it on thick, but god damn it she needed a job.

_I-I will ask my superior." _Chocked out the woman, she was tearing up from Jessica's 'heartfelt' display.

Soon the superior came out and heard Jessica's story, and was moved enough by her act that the strict looking woman seemed to be considering Jessica's ability to work.

_"Do you have any specialties?" _Barked out the woman.

_"Yes, what do you need in a teacher?"_

_"We need someone to teach the second to fourth years P.T. Can you do that?"_

_"Physical Training, yes I can do that"_

_"Good, P.T. includes strength, endurance, cardio, meditation, weapons, and stealth depending on the age group."_

With that, and a small mountain of paper work Jessica had a job teaching brats to be ninjas. Joy.

* * *

If it seems a little unrealistic remember, this is a fanFICTION, also I am a lazy writer.


	11. Chapter 11

Detail Heavy Chapter, be warned

* * *

Teaching children was not as bad as Jessica thought it would be, as there was always another teacher there to cover her ass when a kid asked for help in something Jessica knew nothing about. Even with her blind-spots, Jessica was flawless at teaching 'Taijustu', as her eleven years of martial arts made a good spring board for the art of battle.

Teaching the basics of Yaw-Yan to small children was not advised, but in a world were these children were either killers or got killed, there was no choice. With the emphasis on strong kicks, and quick cutting motions, the children were able to incorporate weapons into their taijustu lessons, which made teaching more interesting to say the least.

_"Shiroko, do not throw your kunai at Kiyoko!" _The frazzled brunette yelled at her third years. _"And Miyo do not think I cannot see you, drop that stance before you hurt yourself, it is too advanced!" _Really, those kids would be the death of her.

The pay was good though, for a teacher salary it was amazing really, and Jessica was able to moving into a small house along the edge of town after a few short weeks of working.

The house was nice, with a rough path from town leading to the area and a few small trees and bushes growing around it. The house was made of the same rough brick and wood as most of the buildings in the village, and was painted a muted rust color, with dull yellow accents and a sturdy roof. The door was repainted by Jessica shortly after she moved in, with Leo picking out the color, a bright orange that did not match the houses dull colors at all. The interior was deceptively large, with two bedrooms, a large bathroom, a kitchen with an open dining area, and a small rec-room.

The largest bedroom was Jessica's and she did not paint it but simply re-varnished and polished the beautiful dark wood that made the floor and walls. A futon and small dresser were the first things to fill the room, shortly followed by a short bookcase and a large plush rug.

Leo's room was slightly smaller than Jessica's and was connected to her room by the bathroom. His room was repainted in a burnt orange color, his choosing, and the floor was polished and re-varnished. A large, plush futon was put in his room, with plenty of room for him to grow into, as well as a toy chest that was missing its lid and a book case. A small dresser was also placed in his room, with a medium mirror attached to wall opposite it. A small round throw rug was the final touch, and made a great place for Miso to sleep.

The kitchen was basic but well stocked, and truthfully Jessica could not cook worth crap, so all she needed was easy food. The dining room and kitchen were connected by a large archway, and both had the same walls and floors as the rest of the house. The dining room had a small table and two mismatched chairs Jessica got from a restaurant on town. A clear flower vase sat in the center of the table with a small handful of Leo's paper suriken attacked to chopsticks in it.

The bathroom was just as Spartan, with a toilet, sink, and small but deep tub/shower. The floors were a bland tile to match the walls, with a small high window to let out steam.

The rec-room was were everything was at. The walls were repainted in a light jade green color with red accents, and the floor was polished to an extreme. A kotatsu, Jessica's favorite table ever, was placed in the middle of the room, with a small television and radio on the wall opposite of the entrance. A tall bookcase was next to the backdoor which lead to the unfenced yard that blended into the surrounding forests. In the yard was a pond with no fish and a raised garden, about seven by seven feet. The room also had a small cupboard filled with games such as cards, go, and checkers, which Jessica would teach to Leo once he understood the games.

Teaching children to kill was something that made Jessica a little iffy, but the pay erased all those worries quite easily. Feeding the bottomless pit that is Leo was a chore, but easier with a steady income and a 'ninja' discount at the local shops.

"Aw, fucking shit, Leo drop that now you little fucker!" Jessica yelled at the young boy as he played with one of the kunai she had in the house. "You have no fucking clue where that thing has been, it could have stabbed a dumb-ass, and then you'd get dumb-ass germs!" she gasped out as she pulled the, admittedly dull, knife from the curious boy's hands.

Leo was now five and was a very curios and smart boy, and if you asked Jessica she would brag your ear off about how he is 'a little genius blooming into greatness'. Living in the village had been a great experience the stolen child, as the village itself prized children greatly.

Nadeshiko Village was one of the 'Great Ninja Villages' but it had never been accepted as such because of its small population and it's admittedly barbaric laws. With a large gap between the male and female population the village was a true kunoichi village. Because of this large gap, one ancient law had never been overturned: The man who defeats a woman in a marriage battle must marry her and come to the village to produce and protect the next generation. This had led to many 'bloodline thefts' being blamed on the village and a black mark being placed on its reputation, as the women are so powerful that only the best of the greatest could defeat them.

Outside men were treated poorly, not abused, but they were reminded of their statues as 'outsiders' even after marriage into the village. Children on the other hand are all precious to the village as birth rates and infant survival were low, also because of some ancient laws, boy or girl it does not matter they are equals as citizens of the village. This strange belief and behavior caused many people to frown upon Nadeshiko's laws and citizens and created a gap between Nadeshiko and the other Villages when it came to communication.

Even though Leo and Jessica were outsiders they assimilated very well to village life, and shortly after becoming full citizens, five months after moving there, they had become as good as a born citizen. With this status and the fact that they were new blood, both Leo and Jessica became friends with many of the villagers, and Leo made many friends in his age group.

One of Leo's friends, Kiko, was his favorite to playmate, as she came from the Kosshi family who produced very hardy children. The Kosshi Clan was also known as steel bones, because even before birth chakra was infused into the child's body in such a way that their bones were nigh unbreakable by four, and their muscles were extremely elastic and strong shortly after. Because of this Leo could rough house with Kiko and she could play just a rough right back.

In another universe where Jessica never dropped into Naruto, a young orphan was alone and abused by a village for something he had no control over, but this is not that universe, and instead that young boy had a loving family and friends, and a large house, and a full belly. But this was not important, because Kiko just pushed Leo into the mud, so he had to make a mud-ball to throw at her.

* * *

So lots of details and expanding on the universe in this chapter. Expect this for the next few chapters as Leo grows up and things start to shift.


	12. Chapter 12

Leo was to join the academy today, and this made Jessica both giddy and nervous, a feeling she did not like.

_"You do not have to go this year, you could stay back." _She said as she nervously flitted around her adopted family.

_"Big Sister, I am almost six, the academy is the next step to becoming a great ninja." _The boy replied as he brushed his shoulder length blonde hair, _"Besides you teach there so we will see each other, and you will teach me next year."_

_"I know" _the woman grumbled out, upset at being outsmarted by a child, _"That doesn't mean I need to be fucking happy with you growing up."_ She continued.

"I love you too big sister, now can you help me braid my hair?" He beamed up at her in English to comfort his sister.

Pulling the blonde into her lap and separating the hair into sections to braid each one, Jessica mulled over what needed done. She had to protect her little brother, but he also needed to be a strong ninja in his own right, or the village may find him useless later in life.

Then an idea struck Jessica, she would teach him everything she knew; martial arts, mathematics, stealth, even the more feminine arts like seduction and fashion. Everything that Jessica learned even before dropping in this world, she would make her little brother in the greatest ninja ever.

With that settled Jessica pulled her brother off her lap and helped him pack up a lunch for them both.

"Stewed carrots are gross" the little blonde pouted as he saw an extra helping placed into his lunch box.

"You say the about all vegetables," The woman replied "It is either veggies with lunch or no ramen for dinner."

"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!" the boy screamed out in horror.

As this exchange went on Kiko's mother came to drop off her daughter. Kiko would come to Leo's house before school and walk there with Jessica for the past year, with Leo being dropped off at a pre-school along the way.

That day being Leo's first day at the academy Kiko came later than usual, to give Jessica and Leo a little more time together. The young girl was brash and selfish, but even she knew that families needed time for important moments like this. Standing in the door way the seven year old copper haired girl watched Leo and Jessica interact. They were truly like siblings, with Leo pouting and Jessica verbally poking him. It was weird though, how they sometimes spoke in that strange language that no one but they understood.

With the lunches packed and the family ready for the day, the small troupe went along the beaten path to the academy. The thirty minute walk was relatively calm, with only a small outburst when Kiko pushed Leo into a puddle. Thankfully the puddle was not overly muddy and Leo would not have to change clothes, but he did retaliate by pulling one of the copper heads braids; this lead to a screaming match between the two for the last few minutes of the walk, and a frustrated Jessica throwing them at their respective home room teachers.

The day progressed quickly after that, and Jessica was able to pull her little brother out of his classroom for lunch.

"So how was your first day so far?" She asked the boy as he gobbled down the rice and mushroom mixture.

"Good, Miro-sensei is nice, but she said my writing was 'atrocious', what does that mean?"

"It means it sucks balls."

"Oh, can I get better?"

"Yup, we can practice writing at night after dinner." And with that lunch was finished and the two went back to their classes.

At three o'clock the classes were over and the students and teachers began to leave for the day. Leaving his classroom, Leo walked towards the exercise yard his sister was at, and attempted to sneak up on her.

"I can sense you, you little bastard." His sister singed out.

"Damn, I wanted to get you!" The rambunctious blonde shouted out.

"Well how about these apples?" Jessica replied as she lifted up her little brother and began to tickle him.

After a short tickle match, with Jessica winning by default, the two began to walk home, stopping in the market district to get supplies for dinner. Moseying from stall to stall Jessica picked out a few fresh vegetables and an attractively fresh fish, with Leo grabbing fruits and eggs. As the two were preparing to leave the market a book caught Leo's eyes, kicking Jessica in the shin he got her attention.

"I want that book" he said as he pointed to the book in question.

"_Ninja Tactics: A History of All Ninja Arts__, _seems a bit much for a green-horn like you." She replied.

"But I can use it for the future." The little blonde pouted back, using his puppy-dog eyes on his sister.

"That is a dirty trick you little bastard." She mumbled as she went to pay for the hefty tome.

Getting home for the night and starting on dinner, Jessica watched over Leo as he did his homework on the dining table. Making pork ramen for her brother with tempura vegetables and salted fish they both sat down and began to eat. After the meal the two went into the sitting room and sat down under the kotatsu with Miso lounging between the two. The puppy had grown quickly and was now quite large; Jessica would bet a pretty penny he had some wolf in him. Once the small family was comfortable Jessica began to teach Leo the basics of calligraphy and writing and made him practice until his bed-time. As Leo's first day of school came to a close, Jessica couldn't help but wonder about how her little brother had grown.

* * *

Next chapter will cover what happened in konaha after Jessica left with her little bundle of joy.


	13. Chapter 13

Naruto was gone. This was the only thought that Sarutobi, the celebrated god amongst ninjas and the third hokage, could have. Guilt and sadness and anger circling his head like starving vultures.

The evidence had been damning to say the least, but there was no evidence of where the young toddler was. Obviously the person who took him was an extremely well trained ninja, as there was no trace of any affiliation and with the Kumo incident attention had lapsed on the boy for a day. That was all the time the kidnapper needed as Naruto was gone the next day with no evidence of where he might be.

For a few weeks after the boy was found missing, things were kept hush-hush, with trackers being sent out of the village to locate the toddler. Sadly they could not find him, because he was unknowingly still within the village walls, and the search had to be stopped as it was spread resources thin.

As winter came to a close and spring began to set in, Sarutobi still held hope in finding the young jinjuriki, but he felt pressure from the council to announce the boy's statues as missing publicly. Truly the civilian council wanted the boy declared dead, but the ninja side of the council knew that claiming their tailed container dead would be declaring a great weakness, while simply 'missing' still held hope for finding the boy.

Posters were made and spread around the village, and after a few weeks began to expand to outside the village and into other areas of Fire country. Tips were sent in about spotting the boy, but all were dead ends, and were also put to a stop after a while for wasting resources.

After a year of searching, the boy was declared dead, causing the civilians and many ninjas to celebrate the death of the 'demon'. But any ninja with a tactical mind or who had known the boy or his family knew what this really meant. The boy had most likely been kidnapped by an enemy village, and was even now being brainwashed into a powerful weapon. Those who knew the boy's parents were the most devastated.

Kakashi felt a great guilt fall onto his shoulders. He had been so hurt after his sensei's death that he had thrown himself into the ANBU and took suicide mission after suicide mission, never stopping to check on his teacher's only child. He felt it was his inattentiveness that lead to the young child disappearing after his short life of abuse by the village. With this extra weight on his shoulders the young man was removed from ANBU after a failed psyche exam, and was stuck on no greater than B-rank Mission for quite some time.

Jiraiya had been contacted after the announcement of Naruto's 'Death' and had been absolutely crush beyond despair. The white haired man fell into a depression, and threw himself into boozing and whoring his way around the nations, only barely keeping up his spy network; enough to make sure the village would not burn to the ground expectantly. Soon Jiraiya became as infamous as Tsunade about being a drunk, but powerful ninja who cracked under the pressure.

Even the great hokage was affected and he seemed to age years over night, but he was still the leader of the village, and as much as it hurt him he had to remain strong for people who lost some of his love. Many other more sinister peoples' plans were thrown for a loop with the boy gone.

At first nothing truly changed from the original timeline, but soon the paths split and diverged. In one universe a young boy was placed into an apartment at four, and the apartment and surrounding area fell into disrepair as no one wanted to live near the 'Demon'. Young children were taught to hate the boy, without knowing why, and many assassination attempts were made on the boy's life. A ramen stall remained a stall because it was known for not turning away the demon brat, and it lost many costumers.

In this story though that does not happen; the area the boy would have lived in flourished, with many new shops and restaurants opening nearby, including an amazing restaurant specializing in world famous ramen. Children were not taught to hate a young child, and soon many forgot the boy had once existed, except those that had loved the young child.

* * *

Short, but hopefully filled in some gaps, and will help later chapters make more sense.


	14. Chapter 14

Detail Heavy chapter ahead, big descriptions of characters and clans. Be warned

* * *

"BIG SISTER!" Was screamed across the warm house, "Where the fuck is my headband, I can't find it!"

"Check under your fucking bed" the older woman yelled back from the kitchen.

"FOUND IT!"

Leo had recently graduated at the age of thirteen and like all graduates of the academy he had received his headband, a metal plate with the emblem of a flower with five petals blooming from a star. There was no fabric as the students were expected to make their own unique headband. As Nadeshiko focused on specializations rather than creating a balanced ninja the headband was a way of creating personality to identify the ninja.

Today Leo would get assigned to a team and would meet his sensei for the rest of his training. Leo had chosen to specialize in stealth/infiltration and sealing Justus so he knew, after Jessica explained the system to him, that he would be put with a frontline/heavy hitter and an illusion expert as his fellow students. The teacher would be chosen to cover whatever specialization the team did not have, most likely a medic for Leo's team, as to create a balanced team.

Running down the halls with a large Miso on his heels Leo came skidding into the kitchen. Tumbling head over ankles he came to a halt in front of his sister, who was glaring at him with a smirk on her face.

"What did I tell you about fucking running in the damn house?" She snarled out

"But I am late." The hyper blonde whined out as his sister smacked his head.

"Well I woke you up early, it is your own damn fault," she sneered out while she finished packing his lunch, "Maybe if you hadn't ignored my fucking yelling you would be on time you idiot."

"But big sister" he pouted.

"No buts, now come on, or you really will be late." The woman sighed out as she pushed the boy out of the house and locked the door behind her.

Heading towards the school, Jessica walking and Leo ridding on Miso's impressive back, the two talked about who Leo wanted on his team. The graduating class was somewhat large this year, with fifteen students being split into five teams and six boys this year including Leo. This meant that the chances of Leo getting the team he wanted were higher; the class had a variety of specializations.

Leo's chosen specialization; Assassination and Reconnaissance, truly suited him well, with his natural talent for writing and using seals, his ability to almost melt into the shadows, and his amazing trapping skills. Whenever the students had done practice or simulations, Leo's team would always 'capture the flag' the fastest; whether the 'flag' was supposed to be a princess or a scroll did not matter, Leo would trap the enemies and create openings for his fellow teammates to capture the goal.

Shortly after Leo's third year of school, when he was eight, Miso had been taken to the local animal medic to be neutered. There they had found out he was half wolf, half nin-dog of some sort. This lead to Leo begging for Miso to be trained as a nin-dog, as the pup would live as long as Leo was alive anyway. Miso had bonded with Leo and absorbed enough of his chakra that he was a true nin-dog and would live as long as his partner was alive to give him a chakra bond.

The large wolf mix started training, with Leo being taught along-side the dog, by someone of the Okami Clan. The Okami Clan raised wolves to be nin-dogs, and would help others train nin-animals. They had no special clan Justus or powers, not even any distinguishable markings, other than that they were very good with animals.

After the years of training together Miso and Leo were nigh inseparable, and the large grey and brown nin-dog was by proxy protective of Jessica. Not that the protection was needed, as over the years Jessica had picked up on quite a few ninja tricks that did not require chakra. She was quite a Taijustu expert now, with her Yaw-Yan style mixed with many others she had studied, many who sparred with her could not predict her movements. Teaching this deadly style to the next generation of Nadeshiko kunoichi had just been a plus.

Reaching the school building after the conversation had lulled, Jessica walked Leo to the classroom he was to meet in and she then left to the teachers' lounge, hoping to get some coffee before classes started.

Leo walked into the classroom and sat down in the back next to his friend. Kiko had gotten held back a year, after she failed her seventh year, unable to create elemental Justus of pick a specialization.

The two talked while the last of the stragglers came to class, with the head academy teacher coming in last and closing the door behind her.

After the door was shut and all the students were in their seats the woman began to talk.

"_Today I look at you all as equals,_" the tall woman began, "_And as such, you are to treat each other as equals, team mates, and most importantly family. We are all part of the village, flowers in a field of war, the poison upon the blade of death, and we must trust each other to protect our family. Today you will all be placed into teams based on your chosen fields, and you will train under your team sensei and a master of your specializations. These two people will help mold and shape you into the best ninja you can be, but you must trust them for that to happen."_

After a tense silence while the imposing woman shuffled through some paper in the break of her speech, she began to speak again in her gravelly voice.

_"I cannot say who your master will be, for it is your place to find one, but I can give you a team, and a leader to guide you. This paper I have," _she gestured to the list, _"holds your futures, and what the village hopes for you to become, do not disappoint us."_

With that the woman began to read of the list of team make ups, all of them balanced with unique talents to create the best teams possible. When the woman called out for team three made of Leo, Kiko, and Meigestu the three stood and went to room 107 to meet with their sensei as the woman told them.

Once the three young teens entered the room they stood around awkwardly for a few minutes, before Leo broke the silence.

"_I am Leo, and that loser," _he said as he pointed to Kiko, _"is Kiko, and I hope we can be friends." _He beamed at the other girl.

The girl, Meigestu, just stood silently and looked at the two for a moment. Meigestu was a lovely young girl, with long dark blue hair and bright purple eyes. Her hair split into a low ponytail and a traditional Nadeshiko maiden braid with straight swooping bangs. She was dressed in a deep red polo neck shirt and faded green combat pants. On her waist was her village plate on a black band that doubled as a supply pouch and was holding up a crimson half skirt that was split up to her hips. She had black leather arm guards with small bells hanging off of red ribbons. Her shoes were standard closed-toe shinobi shoes in black that came up to her knees.

Her eyes were large with a slant to them and framed by long black lashes. They were colored in violet but if one looked closely they would see her eyes were not normal. Meigestu was born in the Hanami Clan, who were one of the founding clans of Nadeshiko. The Hanami clan possessed a powerful Dojustu that was illusion based, and created a unique pupil for the owner of said eyes. The wielder of this dojustu would have pupils shaped like a small flower, but when activated the pupil would bloom outward, resembling that of the village insignia. The dojustu user can create a powerful genjustu or illusion when the eye is activated and eye contact is made. These illusions are deadly as they cannot be broken like normal genjustu, and instead eye contact must be broken. The Hanami Clan made wonderful assassins and seduction specialists, and Meigestu was no exception.

"_I am Hanami, Meigestu, third daughter of Hanami, Choko. Who are you? _" She asked on a lilting voice.

Kiko was the first to reply, in an equally formal, if not more rough voice, _"I am Kosshi, Kiko, only daughter of Kosshi, Aoi."_

Kiko had grown from the young child she once was, and now at fourteen one could see the beautiful woman she would grow to be. With shoulder length, wild copper hair with a maiden braid and steel, blue eyes that were always smiling and filled with mischief, Kiko was the epitome of wild-child. Already at an impressive five foot eight inches Kiko towered over her team mates, and was expecting to grow another foot taller before she was done. She was dressed in a grey chain-mesh body suit that stopped at her knees and elbows. Teal ribbons wrapped around her wrists, left knee, and right elbow; the one on her knee holding the village plate. This was covered by a tan, short yukata that stopped above her knees, with a teal obi wrapping it closed over her generous curve already developing. On her feet were a pair of tan combat shoes that stopped below her ankles.

The Kosshi Clan was an old clan, and was also a founding clan, made by a woman escaping an abusive husband who enjoyed trying to break her unbreakable bones. The women and men born into the clan had large chakra reserves with precise control and with their already strong bodies they were very powerful frontline fighters. The excess chakra in their systems is pumped into their bones and muscles creating unbreakable bones and powerful muscles, their skin become hard and elastic, making cutting people from the Kosshi clan a task. They also have a tendency to grow bigger than others outside the clan, and are the reason people consider their village filled with amazon like women.

Both girls turned to Leo and Kiko poked him hard in his side.

_"Introduce yourself idiot!" _She growled at the boy.

_"Fine,"_ he grumbled back, _"I am _Gomez, Leonidas, _first brother of _Gomez, Jessica, _First daughter _Attar, Titrit."

_"Why do you not share your mother's name?"_ Meigestu wondered aloud.

_"Cause Big Sister said that she was kicked out of her family, and had to take her grandmothers name instead." _The boy replied.

With that said the children sat in silence as they waited for their sensei. Leo played with the blonde ends of his maiden braid as they waited, his bright blue eyes darting around in excitement. He had dressed his best today, in his new ninja gear: a black chain-mesh full shirt, grey combat pant, and black combat boots that ended at his knees. Around his hip was a tan utility belt full of ninja tools, as well as matching ones on his wrists and upper legs. Seals were placed inside the containers as well, to make them as Jessica called it 'Mary-Poppins Bags'. The only color on the boy aside from his hair was a heavy-duty, burnt orange scarf wrapped around his neck and shoulders with the village plate on the hanging end.

As the children sat in wait, Jessica ran into their future teacher on her way to the work yard. They talked for a short time, mostly about innocuous things such as the weather or the prices of fish. After a few minutes of small talk and trading invites to visit soon they said their good-byes and went on their ways.

_"Sorry I am a little late," _team three's teacher said as she entered the classroom, _"I ran into a fellow teacher and we talked for a bit."_

_"Yes, Teacher."_ The three said in unison.

_"Care to introduce yourselves then." _The woman waved at them nonchalantly.

_"We have already introduced ourselves to each other," _Kiko stated in a bored tone, _"and you should already know who we are, so the only introduction left is yours teach."_

_"That is acceptable," _The woman began, _"I am Kurokizu, Hoshiko, Second daughter of Kurokizu, Utsu, and your Jounin-Sensei."_

With that the woman turned and started to walk out, all the while calming giving instructions to the genin.

_"Follow me to training ground A3, this is where we will meet at seven hundred sharp every day for team training."_

As the woman walked with a brisk pace, the students were able to observe her and memorize her looks and voice, as any good shinobi would do.

The woman, Hoshiko-sensei, was very short, barely pushing five foot two, but she held an intimidating personality that screams 'no non-sense'. Her hair was the color of dried blood and rust, and cut short to her scalp except for her bangs, which ended in medium sized braids, and a short braid in back, similar to a rats-tail. The cropped hair meant her husband had recently passed, but the braids meant she had three children, two girls and a son. She was covered in bandage tape, including the lower half of her face and her hands, and wore an uncolored chain-mesh shirt and shorts over that. The only other clothes she wore was a black wrap skirt that held two swords to her hips, and had the village emblem sown onto the hanging cloth. Her village plate was attached to the straps across her chest that held two swords to her back and a medium scroll hung from her hip by a dark purple ribbon. Her feet were covered in heavy duty black bandages instead of shoes.

Her eyes were a bright gold color with raised scar like markings going down both of them. The black scars started at her hair line and ended past her cheeks; her entire body was covered in these markings. The scar like markings were actually seals, activated as she grew older as was Clan tradition. The Kurokizu Clan had a natural talent for sealing and were born with the ability to create chakra seals on their bodies. They would absorb the chakra from an enemy or their surroundings and put them into the seals in their bodies, darkening the seal and causing it to rise. As time went by the body would alter the chakra to match the bodies so that it could be used when the original became low. The seals were genetically passed onto daughters, but the ability to absorb chakra went to both genders.

Once the teams reached the training area Hoshiko stopped and turned to look at her charges. With a sinister look in her eyes she put a hand in her leg pouch and pulled out a small alarm.

_"When this timer goes off the battle is over, and not a moment sooner. You three are to spare while I monitor and after I will give a training regimen tomorrow." _As she set the clock for two hours and placed it in a small rock she continued. _"No lethal force, and do not permanently cripple your teammates, now BEGIN!"_

* * *

Things are moving, and yes there was a very big time skip, but squishy family stuff is easy enough to get across with small parts. I am wanting to get to the action soon. Comments are loved and so are people pointing out flaws, cause I do not proof.


	15. Chapter 15

"You look like shit." The brunette laughed out.

"Shut up bitch." Leo groaned out in pain.

This was what Leo came home to after his first day of training, a mocking sister and sleeping Miso being showered in snuggles, by said sister.

"Did you call Kiko a cow again; you know how she reacts to that"

"Bitch" was the muttered reply as the tired and bruised blonde dragged himself to the shower.

"I guess if I am such a bitch then I get to keep dinner for myself, I even went to get a cake for dessert." Jessica wistfully sighed out.

Leo replied in a highly creative use of Japanese, English, and the broken Spanish he picked up. It was enough to almost make Jessica blush, almost.

Later that night after eating their fill of a fish hotpot and peach cake the two sat under the heated table and started to play a game of poker.

"In all seriousness, how was your day Leo?"

"Fine, Sensei will push us hard, but with Kiko and Meigestu, we will make a great team." Leo replied as he petted Miso's huge head.

"I am glad" his sister smiled over her cards, and then proceeded to throw them down. "Three of a kind, bitch!" she gloated, showing her hand of three aces and two queens.

Leo just smirked and gently laid down his hand, a royal flush. "I think the win is mine." He laughed out as he pulled the coins they had been betting with to himself.

"Suck my dick!" Jessica screeched out as she jumped over the table to wrestle the change from her brother's hands.

After a few seconds of 'battle' Miso joined the fray, covering Leo and Jessica in slobber and brown fur. The fight quickly dissolved into the three rolling around and laughing, until they became exhausted. Once their breathing had calmed the adoptive siblings stood and shook hands, and dissolved into giggles again as they walked to their rooms for the night.

"Big sis, now that I am a ninja it is my turn to protect you." The blonde stated very seriously as he looked up to his sister's face.

She quieted down at this claim, and turned to look down at her brother, only to realize he was taller than she remembered. When had her little baby grown up? Smiling down sadly she could not speak, for fear of her voice cracking.

"Sis, why are you crying?"

Jessica could not muster the drive to reply to the boy's question, and instead crouched down to pull the startled boy into a bone crushing hug. A few seconds later, or minutes, or hours; Jessica released her brother and shooed him to bed.

The next day the two pretended nothing had happened, but the bags under Jessica's eye told a different story. She still had the energy to make a nice packed lunch for the boy to share with his new team, and shoo him out of the house.

Flopping down on a dining chair, the tired brunette watched her little blonde run to his training ground. She was feeling her age, at thirty-three Jessica was no longer the spry young thing she once was, and she was one of the oldest women in the village truthfully. With her fairly safe life-style, having not birthed a child, and the clean air, she lived longer and was healthier than many other civilians and even other ninjas, but she was still feeling it. Her bones were aging, her muscles weakening; her hair even had a few grays streaking the mud-brown waves. Jessica knew she could no longer protect the only thing keeping her sane in this crazy world and that knowledge caused her to let out a quiet sigh.

Jessica knew she had taught all she could to the boy; he had surpassed her in martial arts, could beat her in cards no matter how well she cheated, and could slip in and out of the shadows like an eel in water. He was a true prodigy, the heir of all Jessica was or could be, and she could no longer guard him from the dangers of the world.

Tears trickled out of the aged woman's eyes. She would still try, and would take a knife for her brother if she had to, but she could not stop him from running to fight for his village and the people he loved. That was her promise, she had sworn to protect the boy and even if he could fight for himself, she would always look out for him.

With this promise to herself her resolve hardened and her eyes took a sharp gleam. "Nobody will take my brother away from me, not even death himself." She growled out.

* * *

This was mostly a building/family chapter. Short and bittersweet.


	16. Chapter 16

Training for the next few months was hard for team three, with Hoshiko pushing her students hard and fast, but it was effective. Team work was astounding between the three genin, and they were even able to spar their teacher when they worked together. They still never won.

Just as Jessica predicted the team was composed of a stealth specialist, Leo, Front-liner, Kiko, and an illusionist, Meigestu. Their teacher was a medic specialist, so when the three sparred with each other they could go all out, as red haired woman could heal them quite efficiently.

There were no D-rank mission in Nadeshiko village; actually there were no ranking in missions. A mission was simply that, a mission, and would be taken at a superior's discretion. Often times Team Three would be put on hunting missions, where they would be sent out with other genin teams to bring back food to the village. Fishing and hunting big game were Kiko and Leo's favorite parts of these missions, while Meigestu favored picking herbs and plants. When Meigestu picked plants Hoshiko-sensei would often point out the poisonous ones to the young girl, and made sure she remembered it for later.

Some missions were going to the out of border farms to help. Kiko would wrestle the farm animals into their pens and help plow the fields. Leo would often tend to the plants; he seemed to have a green thumb as the farmers put it. Meigestu had what the three agreed as the worst job. Because of her illusion abilities she would put the slaughter animals under a painless sleeping genjustu, and then either Leo or Kiko would end the animal's life quickly and swiftly. It was hard on all three children, but they were ninjas and knew they would have to face death every day, so they pushed through and bonded over healing.

Because the jounin-sensei was a medic team three studied basic medical skills from the woman, along with anything else she would teach them. Leo had the hardest time with healing, as his control, while good, was average at best. He was able to study pressure and chakra points though, and had them memorized by the third week of study. Kiko's chakra control was astounding as well as her reserves, but because of her lack of focus she could only heal large dangerous wounds. Anything smaller than life threatening and her chakra would cause more damage than good when she tried to heal. Kiko was also a terrible study, so she only bothered to learn the basics and focused more on her strengths. Meigestu had the best luck when it came to healing. Her control and reserves were good, and her studies progressed quickly, so she became best suited to study healing. Her bloodline even made an effective sedative and pain-killer when she needed to heal and calm an animal. But the young girl still wished to specialize in seduction and infiltration.

As a team, the three meshed at an amazing rate. Leo's traps, with Meigestu's illusions and Kiko's muscles, created a perfect retrieval and assassination team. The three also rose through the ranks quickly as the months passed, and soon earned the name 'Star Three' as they had passed all their classmates as a team and as individuals.

Hoshiko was a harsh taskmaster though, and even after the three thought they were good enough for genin, she wanted them better. With the Chunin exam around the corner, the Hanakage wish to send two teams out to Konaha to take it for the first time in years.

In Nadeshiko a ninja did not have to take an exam to rise in rank, and instead a battle was held once a year. The battle was free for any genin to enter and was held in the city center. Two combatants would enter the ring and the last one standing moved onto the next match-up; the only rules being no lethal force. The last six standing would be promoted and become recognized as Chunin and earn the chunin braid. The braid was a thin five strand braid behind the left ear, and would be cut off after reaching jounin level.

The village had not actually taken part of any chunin exams within the last ten years, as the unstable environment after the war and Kyuubi created tension the Hanakage did not want to deal with. This year though, there was a change in the wind, a shift was coming soon and the Hanakage did not want others forgetting the power her village held. As a political and tactical maneuver she would send her two best teams to Konaha, a strong and safe ally, to show the power of her village. The teams may even find husbands while they are gone, and bring new blood into the village. Truly a clever move for the powerful woman, for she knew the good blood that flowed through Konaha's ninjas, her husband had been from there and had helped her produce three strong daughters and two clever sons. His death had truly been a tragedy for the village.

Team Three had already been chosen as the rookie team to send, along with Team Twelve who had two years seniority on the rookies. Team Twelve was a tactical team who were focused on intelligence gathering and long-term infiltration. They did not have a heavy-hitter on their team and were instead made of an illusionist from the Hanami clan, an Ashihea, and a Dokuchi.

The Ashihea Clan was made of physically frail people, but their chakra control was highly refined. Their special clan justu allowed users to focus their chakra into each strand of hair on their hair and turn them into 'tentacles'. The hair became stronger than ninja wire and could be manipulated even after being cut, creating deadly weapons out of the locks. The hair also could be used as a way to shield and protect the body, as any hair on the users body could be used, even the eyebrows. The way to distinguish the clan members was simple, as they never cut their hair after birth and all were born with a metallic silver color.

The Dokuchi Clan was a smaller clan, but were some of the deadliest. Their chakra reserves and control are average, along with their physical strength, but the clan's blood-line is what made them feared. Simply put, a corrosive poison ran through the clans veins instead of blood. It does not affect them negatively, but if the 'blood' leaves their bodies it activates and eats away at anything it touches. This makes stealing the blood-line difficult, and killing them more so, as the weapon will often be destroyed after it breaks skin. The easiest way to tell if someone is from that clan, as they are fairly average looking women, is to look at their eyes, and if the blood vessels are a bright purple instead of red.

With these two strong teams that held the strongest blood-lines in the village, the Hanakage knew that the other shinobi nations would not be forgetting Nadeshiko anytime soon.

* * *

Bah, updates.


	17. Chapter 17

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

The screams of a thousand souls crushing in terror could be heard coming from the brunette woman, as she glared down at the paper her brother had handed her. A consent form for him to leave the Village and participate in the Chunin exams in Konaha sat in her trembling hands.

"You just have to sign big sis, and I can become a chunin."

"NO, it says you can attempt to become a fucking chunin, not that you WILL become a fucking chunin."

"Same damn difference." The blonde shrugged.

Jessica was torn, sign or don't it did not matter, her brother was a ninja. But she felt that signing this paper would be like her accepting his death, like signing his own death warrant. She needed time to think, to plan, she was never good under pressure.

"Oh God." Was all she could mumble out before she fainted.

Waking up in a hospital room was not Jessica's ideal situation, especially after the bomb Leo had dropped on her. Fucking brat was going to go and die on her, and then who would take care of her wrinkly old ass, the Loch Ness Monster?

"LEO, GET YOUE ASS IN HERE!" the tired brunette screeched once she noticed his absence.

After a minute of waiting a scuffle was heard outside her room and the door burst open, with a panicked looking Leo tumbling in. His teammates and teacher following at a much more sedated pace, but Kiko had concern painted across her face.

"YOU OLD BITCH, DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" Leo screamed as he tackled his sister into a bone crushing hug.

A screaming match ensued between the two that I will not write for the creative language and profanities used would require me to up the rating of this fiction, but let it be said that even though they spoke in English, team three understood that foul language was being used profusely.

"… AND FURTHER MORE…" Jessica continued but was interrupted by a nurse clearing her throat.

_"If you are both done,"_ the sweet looking woman began in a small voice, _"then please leave as there are other patients who need attention."_

The aura the woman emitted caused everyone's' hair to stand on end and Leo to quickly leave the room; Hoshiko dragging her other students out with her at a more sedated pace.

_"I just need to check your vitals, and you will be clear to go." _The nurse smiled at Jessica.

_"Thank you."_

After being released and paying for the fees Jessica left the hospital and was promptly tackled by her brother again.

_"Are you going to be okay big sister, you aren't dying are you?" _the blonde asked in a morose tone.

_"No, I am fine, just a little sleep deprived. I fainted from the shock that is all." _She smiled down at her wonderful little brother, and then remembered why she fainted and proceeded to pull the blonde into a noogie.

Meigestu coughed at the display, and then asked as politely as she could _"Why did you faint Jessica-sensei?"_

_"Shock," _the woman in question replied, _"Leo wants to become a Chunin and had the papers for me to sign."_

Hoshiko understood what Jessica meant and gave her a once over before asking _"Do you wish to come with Leo to watch him on that journey?"_

Jessica was shocked by this question, as was evident on her face by her wide eyes and hanging jaw. But she quickly regained composure and squeezed Leo even closer to herself.

_"Yes, Thank you." _Was mumbled out in a grateful tone by the older woman.

_"I will ask the Hanakage if it is possible. You will receive notification tomorrow at eight hundred on the answer." _And with that the jounin left in a swirl of white and pink petals.

_"Hey big sis, can my teammates hang at the house today?" _Leo asked as he looked up to his sister with the biggest puppy eyes ever.

Of course Jessica was no match and agreed right away. She knew Leo's reason for wanting to stay home, she had worried him quite badly, and it was evident in how his blue eyes kept darting to her as if he was waiting for her to fall again.

Getting to the house in relative peace Jessica could not help the sigh that escaped her lips. Opening the door a gust of warm air washed over her as Miso came bounding at her, but stopping before he knocked her over, as if he knew her fragile state.

_"Welcome to our humble home." _Jessica politely intoned before letting her crassness take over. _"Take your fucking shoes off at the door and crash where ever the fuck you please."_

And with that Team Three had a relaxing day at the Gomez household, playing cards and eating plenty of snacks. Leo even convinced Kiko and Meigestu to dance with him to the radio, with Jessica clapping and cheering them along.

Jessica knew the next day would be a turning point for her, but she avoided thinking about that, it was unneeded stress. Instead she laughed and played with the children, teasing Leo and cheating at cards so well it would have made her grandfather proud.


	18. Chapter 18

"Unacceptable!"Jessica shouted at her brother as he packed, "You will need more than three pairs of underwear!"

"But sis-"

"NO!"

The duo were packing for the trip to Konaha, and their stay for the chunin exams. The Hanakage had been quite amiable to allowing Jessica to follow her brother, understanding as both a sister and a mother the feelings Jessica had. It was also a political move, as Jessica was still a civilian she could show how strong even the non-combatants of the village were. If the woman also happened to bring a man with her, well that would just be a bonus.

The siblings had squabbled for some time about Jessica coming, with Leo insisting he was an adult now and Jessica letting out a stream of crocodile tears to drown out his protests. He had learned from the best, but she was still the master of puppy-dog eyes. Packing had been another issue for the two, as Leo had never needed to pack for more than a day trip out of the village walls. Jessica who had traveled for so long before settling in the village knew better than Leo, no matter how much he cried about over packing.

"Well what the fuck are your god damn seals for then you little prick?" she could not help but glare at the stubborn boy.

"Oh yeah." The blonde mumbled back, as if the thought had just hit him.

"You god damn idiot" Jessica growled as she noogied the poor boys scalp.

The items stored away were separated into four scrolls: food, tools and weapons, Leo's clothes, and Jessica's clothes. The food was easy enough, with non-perishables and solider pills packed into the dark green scroll and tucked into Jessica's leather side satchel. The weapons and tools such as sharpening stones and rope were sealed into a black scroll and stored away along with the food scroll.

Leo's clothes had been sloppily packed until Jessica had him show her. She proceeded to smack the living daylights out of the boy and re-pack his scroll. As it was the peak of summer she packed light clothes for the boy, including multiple chain-mesh shirts, bandage tape, a half-dozen pairs of combat pants, and a full yukata in sun-set orange with a pink obi. Underwear and a spare pair of toeless ninja shoe were the last things to be packed, closing the blue scroll. It was then tucked into the side pocket of the leather bag.

Jessica's scroll was more diverse in the clothing packed into it, with multiple sets of green and blue sleeveless polo-necks, a few grey and black skirts, three pairs of brown shorts, and even a pair of nice black combat pants. A few of her nicer yukatas with the plain black and blue obis, plenty of under garments, and a set of nicer shoes were final touches in the packing. Jessica had made more than enough to spoil herself and Leo, and she planned on having fun while at Konaha. With her extra money tucked away into a smaller white scroll that was put in her red clothing scroll, both she and Leo were packed and ready to go.

The next day when the small group was planned to leave Jessica invited the two teams and their sensei over for a large breakfast. Everyone was dressed in clean travel clothes made of simple combat shorts, loose tank-tops, travel boots, and traveling cloaks. All the cloaks were the same brown color that tapered to a light pink on the edges, while the rest of the clothing were in varying shades of greens, blacks, and browns with only the head-bands displaying unique colors.

They group a breakfast of brown rice, beef soup, and seasoned vegetable, a good breakfast before long travel. The talk was quiet and light, with Miso running between chairs to snatch at any food that was unprotected.

After the small meal everyone, including Miso, left the house, with Leo last as he sealed up the doors and windows. With that finished the group of eight including the large dog walked towards the Hanakages office for their debriefing before departure.

_"As you know, your seven will represent our village in the coming exam," _The powerful woman began with an air of seriousness, _"because of this you are expected to behave your best, but if a man is to challenge you to battle you win, and if a woman fights you, then you take her blood, as is the village way. No forfeiting, no cowering, and most of all, NO MECRCY!" _the woman emphasized this point by slamming a kunai into her desk. _"Now make your village proud, and slay those vermin that call themselves ninja." _And with that the powerful woman dismissed the teams.

Renting a local fishing boat to the largest island of Water was the starting point of the trip. Once at the largest of the islands cheap tickets were purchased to take a large ship to one of Land of Fire's port towns. As the group waited for the ship, a large area around them as people avoided the imposing women, Leo came running with treats for everyone. Mostly senbei (rice crackers) for the adults and dango (sticky rice balls) for the girls, but he grabbed a yakatori (grilled chicken) stick for his sister to share with him. After the snacks were eaten the Nadeshiko residence boarded the ship that took them to the next stop. The trip was relatively short, only taking three hours, but was rougher than Jessica remembers it being.

Reaching land was a blessing, and Leo's outburst of "_LAND, SWEET LAND!" _seemed to lift everyone's sprits. The rest of the day would be spent running across the terrain, but if they took few short breaks then the teams would make it to Konaha before too late at night and could get hotel rooms, instead of camping.

The rest of the day was spent running, with Jessica clinging to Miso's back most of the way, as she did not have the chakra to go at ninja speed. It was ironic really, How she had carried Leo and Miso away from the main Ninja Nations, and they were carrying her back.

The looming gates of Konaha were what greeted the group as the sun was starting to set. Stepping off of Miso on wobbly legs Jessica used Leo's head as a support as they walked up to the guards. Two young men in their mid to late twenties sat at the station, one had what appeared to be a bandage across his nose and wild hair, while the other had his hair in a bandana with bangs covering one eye and an incomplete mask only covering his chin.

_"Keep your eyes to yourself buddy!" _Leo burst out as the two chunin had been inspecting the large group of females too closely for his liking. The boy quieted quickly though, when Jessica put a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him.

"The bastards will rot in the brain because they are stunned by our beauty." She sing-songed in English, and then in Japanese said _"be polite brother."_

The Identifications checked out and the group was let to pass after explaining their reason for being there, Leo's glaring not helping the Chunin move any faster. The teams made it to a nice hotel that catered to visiting ninja, and went to their rooms, with the two senseis sharing a room, the two Hanami sharing, the rest of team twelve, and Kiko, Leo, and Jessica sharing the last one.

Tucking in for the night Leo cuddled up to Jessica, with Miso hogging the foot of the mattress.

"Big sis, will I do well in the exam?"

"Totally, and you will kill any motherfuckers who get in your way."

* * *

School is starting back up soon so updates will be slowed. But thanks for all the reviews, you guys make me smile with your thoughts and concerns.


	19. Chapter 19

In the large office of the Hokage, an elderly but powerful man sat in shock. On his desk sat the damning paper that spelled doom for this chunin exam. Nadeshiko sent two teams to represent them in this exam, and that was a true disaster in the old man's eyes. The last time they had participated in the exam no body other than the women from the village graduated, and ten other shinobi, two Uchihas included, had disappeared with the women. They could not oppose the women taking the men, as it was traditional law for them and would cause a war if they had opposed.

Reading the files the Hanakage had sent him; the old man could only shake his head at the powerful young women, but stopped suddenly as he came to the only male in the files. It could not be, but surely it was, the resemblance was undeniable. Naruto, the boy was Naruto and was stolen by Nadeshiko. But that could not be, for women of Nadeshiko do not steal children unless they are … abused. The Hokage hung his head in shame, to have a child stolen for its own protection was a true mark upon a village, and he could not fight for Nadeshiko had legal rights over the boy and would bring forth the truth. He was lucky that they had not made a large announcement at Konaha's treatment of children, for it would have surely ruined them. Shaking his head one last time to clear his thoughts, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew what needed done.

Writing a missive to Jiraiya, Sarutobi knew he could not keep this information from the man, as the supposed death of his godchild had destroyed the once great ninja. Telling the man of the current events in the village and the information he had found, the Hokage tried to keep the letter short and vague, going so far as to code the letter, in case it fell into the wrong hands. Calling a delivery hawk, the man tied the scroll to its leg and sent it off with the directions to find the wayward toad sage.

With that complete the elderly man next called for all jounin and chunin participating in proctoring the coming exam, and even calling for the senseis that entered their students including: Might, Guy, Yuuhi, Kurenai, Sarutobi, Asuma, and Hatake, Kakashi.

_"Now you all may wonder why I called you here short notice, but something has turned up that may change the way the exams will go." _The white haired man said in a serious tone that caused everyone to straighten their backs.

_"Well what is it?" _Yelled out a purple haired woman impatiently, she was planning to go set traps in training ground 44.

_"Nadeshiko has sent two teams to participate in the chunin exams." _The Hokage could not help the sigh that escaped his lips at the blank looks he received. He could see why the Hanakage sent the teams she chose, if this was the reception the news received. It was different from what he recalled from his years as a sensei, the screams of terror were a thing to behold.

Coming out of his reminiscing the eldest Sarutobi called attention back to himself as the other Shinobi seemed to not understand his fear.

_"Ibiki, what do you recall about Nadeshiko?" _He asked the head of Torture and Interrogation.

_"Nothing Hokage-sama." _The scared man replied shamefaced.

This caused a murmur to ripple through the gathered Shinobi. When had Ibiki not known information, it seemed impossible. Then two from the back piped up in unision.

_"Do you mean that large group of kunoichi were from that village?" _The men who had been on guard duty the other day asked.

_"THEY ARE ALREADY HERE!?" _The old man asked in a panicked voice as he jumped from his chair. This was horrible; he needed the warning out as soon as possible.

_"Do not fight these women, no matter if they challenge you are not, and tell the genin the same thing. If they must fight then it must only be within the exam. This is an order." _

_"YES HOKAGE-SAMA."_

_"But sir," _Might Guy could not help but ask, _"Why should we not take a challenge if it is given in a YOUTHFUL fashion?"_

_"Because those women would rip you to pieces and feast on your corpse." _Asuma said in a joking manner. He did not know how right he was till his father was seen nodding his head at that.

_"That is close enough to the truth." _The Hokage said, causing everyone to stiffen and become jumpy.

_"If they are such a danger then why are they allowed to participate?" _a Jounin-sensei asked from the back.

_"Because they are allies, and I would like to keep it that way. This is final." _The man said, and then dismissed the jounin and chunin from the tower. He had paperwork to do now, and it seemed to have grown during the impromptu meeting.

* * *

Hope this helps some of the confusion. To clear things up; Jessica took Leo, Konaha sent out searches, Jessica and Leo went to Nadeshiko, the Hanakage did not learn of Leo's origins until he was ten, Jessica begged to stay, they got immunity when the situation was explained, and now we are here.


	20. Chapter 20

"Ne, Big Sister," Leo started as he and Jessica walked down the Konaha Market District, "you use to live here before right?"

"Yes, but from the looks of it things have changed, plus I was only here for less than a year."

"What changed?"

"Hmmm, well there was a police force here before, but it seems like they are gone. Wonder what happened to them?"

"Big sis, Konaha had a massacre a few years back, remember."

"Oh, yes, I forgot as it seemed unimportant at the time. Which Clan was it again?"

"Dunno, we could ask Mei-chan, she would know!"

Ah, yes, Leo's little crush on Meigestu was quite cute. What with her somewhat distant and cold nature and Leo's hard-headedness and excitability it was like mixing acid with dynamite, an extreme reaction that was much better viewed from a distance. When Leo would call her 'Mei-chan' the reaction was instantaneous and the punishment swift. Meigestu would put the boy under a hell-viewing illusion until Kiko or their sensei saw fit to release him, as Meigestu refused to for the 'Shameful name' he gave her, and Jessica just thought it hilarious.

As the sibling duo were preparing to turn around with their purchases (snacks, junkfood, and enough candy to put a five year old in a coma) a commotion was heard down the street. It seemed some children wanted to play with someone, a bland looking boy walking beside a young girl. Her pink hair made the boy's dull brown even more plain and forgettable.

_"Shouta, I cannot believe you promised to play ninja with some brats!" _The pink haired girl screeched, disturbing the otherwise cute image she made.

_"I did not think they would take me seriously!" _The forgettable boy, Shouta, yelled right back.

"Hey Leo," Jessica nudged her brother, "Look at your completion, doesn't it just make you shake in your boots with fear!" She practically barked out, startling the bickering children.

"Oh yeah, I am terrified here." The blonde responded, laughing just as heartily.

_"H-Hey," _the pinkette called out, _"What are you saying?"_

_"Yeah," _yelled one of the smaller children, a boy in an obnoxiously long scarf, _"Speak properly, you are in Konaha, not wherever the hell you crawled out from!"_

"You hear that sis, gotta speak properly." The smirking boy said in a snobbish voice, causing the duo to laugh again.

_"Respect your elders BRAT!" _the woman growled, whether it was directed at the Konaha kids or her brother was up for debate. But the smack the blonde received made it plausible she was growling at him.

_"Hey, who are you!" _one of the Konaha brats yelled at the bickering siblings, drawing attention back to them. There was crowd gathering and Jessica was beginning to feel nervous, where the hell was the rest of their group?

_"We are representatives of Nadeshiko in the upcoming Chunin Exam, well my brother here is competing, I myself am not a certified ninja." _The brunette replied evenly, causing a small ripple of words to spring from the crowd. Not good, she thought.

_"Yeah right," _Shouta practically yelled, _"There is no village named Nadeshiko that would be a stupid name for a ninja village anyway!" _Some people nodding at the boy, as if that was a valid argument.

_"Please do not disrespect our village," _Jessica tried diplomatically, _"We are a village of some sway, but we prefer to stay out of the squabbles of men." _She smoothly said, with Leo nodding sagely next to her. It was commonly taught in the village that war was a foolish Man's Sport; an ineffective way to increase power over fickle people and lands. Nadeshiko had long since taken itself out of any and all wars, and only supplied people for defense of homes and for healing. Never ones to start battles, but always the ones to end it; that was the Nadeshiko way.

_"So you are cowards!" _the scarf boy yelled, pointing quite rudely at the two.

A silence fell over the crowd at the child exclamation. A gleam entered Jessica's eyes, and by the looks of it Leo had the same idea as her.

_"Very well then" _Jessica started in a smooth, even tone, _"If we are such cowards then that boy next to you, Shouta was it? He will fight my little brother. If your ninja wins we will leave, but if my brother wins then that pink haired one comes with us." _With that she turned to Leo and smiled. _"What do you think brother; want to be the first one to bring new blood home?"_

The cruel smile that curled the boys lips made everyone shiver, but sadly the battle did not happen, as another boy, a raven haired child, came forward.

_"Sakura, Shouta, quit fooling around; Kakashi-sensei wants to meet with us."_ And with that the aloof boy turned around and left. The pink haired one, Sakura, followed after him quickly but the boy stayed and stared at the siblings.

_"Don't think this is over!" _He growled out before stomping away, the children following fast on his heels.

With those parting words that crowd dispersed and the siblings broke out in obnoxious laughter. Walking to the hotel the two mocked the children in English all the way there, not bothering to tone down their offensive voices.

Telling the story later to the rest of team Three and Twelve was just as humorous, with everyone in agreement that pink hair would be a pleasant trait to add to the blood lines. Later the large group went out to get dinner, but were stuck arguing where to go.

_"RAMEN!" _yelled Leo and surprisingly the Ashihea.

_"NEVER!" _replied the rest of the teams.

This went on for a few minutes until a smaller group passed by. The large boy of the group, obviously a Genin pod, spoke up to the arguing women and boy.

_"There is a great Ramen place nearby, that also serves barbeque meat and other more common dishes." _He smiled helpfully at the pretty group. He was stunned in return by the gorgeous smiles he received in return, even Ino at her prettiest didn't match the girls in the group he thought.

_"Thank you." _Replied the leader of team Twelve in her melodious voice, flicking a small strand of black hair out of her face in a calculate movement. The boy had potential; it would be a shame to see him crushed too soon.

Turning in the direction of the restaurant, the Nadeshiko ninja left a trail of confused women and men behind them. No one had ever seen a group of Kuniochi that large before.

Dinner had been a pleasant affair and retiring for the night Jessica relaxed. Her fears had been in vain, if the group they had met that day was any indication then these exams would be a breeze for Leo.

* * *

To tell you guys the truth I have no freaking clue where I am going with this story.


	21. Chapter 21

You have everything you need right?" Jessica fretted over Leo as he prepared for the exam that day. "Spare tools and rations?"

"Yes big sis, quit worrying, or you will get wrinkles. Well more than you already have." The blonde in question giggled out before being chased out of the room by his sister.

"You little BASTARD!" was the echo that followed him to the lobby, were team Three and Twelve were waiting.

_"Finally," _Kiko sighed out impatiently, _"I thought Aunt Jessica would never let you leave."_

_"Shut up and run." _Was all they got in reply as Leo ran for all his worth. A frothing Jessica hot on his heels, causing the two teams to blanch and follow the boy.

Once the teams left her sight Jessica slowed and turned back to the hotel. She knew what she was feeling were the beginnings of fear trickling down her spine and anxiety causing her to bite at her nails, a habit she hadn't done since she was fifteen. She also knew there was nothing she could do and Leo had to now rely on his own devices and his team. By the gods above she still felt that he was growing too fast, where was the little boy she had taught to curse so fluently? Time really was slipping by, but now Leo was an adult in the eyes of a ninja, and Jessica could only support him as a sister now. Stand at his side but never to hold him back. God this reminiscing made her depressed, time to go to the Red Light District Konaha was said to have. A pretty young lady would be just the thing to get her mind off of the more depressing thoughts.

Team Twelve and Three made it to the Exam building for the first part of the Chunin exam early, a good half hour before they would be expected to arrive. 'Better Early than Dead' was the saying their respective senseis had pounded into their young minds, and the young Genin would do their best to follow that rule.

Walking up the flights of stairs, Miso suddenly stopped ahead of the group and looked over at a large gathering of what they assumed were other hopefuls.

_"Can they not see the genjustu?" _Meigestu whispered to her comrades in a conspiring tone.

_"Idiots." _Scoffed Shiroko, the Ashihea with even more shockingly white hair than was normal for the Clan.

Just as the group was about to turn and continue on their way a confident voice reached their ears.

_"It is obviously a genjustu." _A raven haired boy called out, clearly not catching the meaning behind the test.

_"Idiots." _Was all the Nadeshiko ninjas could say, clearly unimpressed by the batch of ninja being pushed out by the Hidden Villages. Team Twelve and Three left as the other ninja honed in on the raven haired boy, leaving the lesser breed to the two Chunin's explanations.

The room was surprisingly crowded when the group of six plus dog entered, but the tenseness in the atmosphere was actually a comfort. Wouldn't want a ninja getting killed for being too relaxed, that would just be a stupid way to go.

As the occupants of the room sized up the group they broke up into groups of two and found seat that allowed them to cover the others' blind spots. A strategic move if there ever was one. Just as Kabuto was about to approach one of the duos, not the one with the dog, that thing was a monster if he ever saw one, a loud group of clearly inexperience Genin burst in. This caused a ruckus as the 'Rookie Nine' had a little meet and greet. Just as he was about to 'kindly' interrupt them he was beaten to the punch by one of the strange Kunoichi.

_"Shut up you drooling idiots before I pluck out your eyes." _Came from the most normal looking of the group. The girl was no older than fifteen and had brown hair held back in a thick braid and brown eyes, she appeared almost completely forgettable and even her clothes were plain and clearly chosen for durability instead of fashion. Her expression was the only thing that distinguished her; eyes that held unknown cruelty and a strange purple tint to her sclera.

Her strange, gravelly voice carried and startled the group at the entrance, and caused many to turn pale.

_"Hehe, Hime don't scare the rookies like that." _Shiroko laughed as she slapped the girls back. The unimpressed look the brown haired girl gave her in return could have peeled an onion, but did not seem to faze the laughing white haired girl.

_"HEY!" _A brunette boy pointed rudely at Leo _"Your that fake coward ninja from the fake village, you can't be here."_

The withering look the loud brunette received from his team mates was humorous, but was overshadowed by the sudden killer intent released by the two teams of Nadeshiko. Pride for the village was a known trigger for the girls and boy, and a many scuffles had been fought over village pride. The sudden rise in dangerous Ki made many seasoned ninja shiver in their seats, whether from fear or something else, it was not the Nadeshiko representatives' problem.

_"Our village, little boy," _The eldest, Hisho Hanami, ground out, _"is not some make believe country, and we are not cowards nor fakes. We are the ones chosen to represent our village in the upcoming exam, and clearly this was needed if the name Nadeshiko does no strike fear into your pathetic heart." _And with the teams from said village seemed to shut down, refusing to answer any questions or rise to threats. They were blank until the proctor came in, and even then they all just smiled serenely, as if choreographed and planned out, even when the threat of never becoming Chunin rang out.

As if some pathetic man could scare them, yes he was strong and held great potential, but the lack of spark in his eyes made the young girls turn their noses up. Scars they could handle. Sadist, bring it on. Bald, whatever. The spark is what mattered to the women of the village; it was the divide between good offspring and Great Children. They had long been taught the difference, and this man was sadly inferior when it came to that.

The test was also laughably easy, if they did not know an answer then procuring one from a person who did was simple. Hisho and Meigestu were also helpful, using a simple form of gengustu to give their team-mates answers. It was pathetically easy, and practically an insult to the girls.

The tenth question threw many for a loop, but again the girls held confident. They would pass no matter what and this man could not scare them. Now when the loud feral looking boy burst out about not giving up and 'baldy can't scare me', this annoyed the girls. More competition may be good but it was still annoying.

Once the scarred proctor was done explaining his part of the exam and how they had passed and his 'the life of a ninja is full of strife' monologue a ball of purple and brown burst into the room through the window.

And so the second part began.


End file.
